Yemen media have said their team is less likely to beat Vietnam in their critical match on January 16, the result of which will decide who might have the opportunity to enter the ongoing Asian Cup 2019’s knockout stage.

Rai Al Yemen website said Yemen must defeat Vietnam as it is the only chance for them to pass the group stage as one of the top four third-place teams, describing this as a “mission impossible”.

Vietnam are strong, it said, adding that the team caused many troubles for both Iran and Iraq in previous matches.

The 26 September newspaper echoed the view, pointing to the fact that Yemeni players have not been well prepared for the Asian Cup 2019. It said the chance for the team to win is very small, if not to say it exists only in theory.

Vietnam is among the most progressive in Asia lately, the paper stated, expressing hope that Yemeni footballers will do their best.

Yemen goalie Saoud Al Sowadi said his team is not well prepared for the tournament. However, the national championship was good, so the overall performance of the national team was fine.

Yemen consider its presence at the Asian Cup 2019 a success and do not aim for high places, the player said, adding he expected his team to do well in the upcoming match against Vietnam.

After their earlier matches in Group D, both squads ended up with no point, with Vietnam getting -3 and Yemen -8 in goal difference. To have a chance to advance to the next round, they need to win and score as many goals as possible.

So far, 12 teams have made their entry to the knockout stage, which are the host United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, China, the Republic of Korea, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Japan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Thailand.